Just one year ago we welcomed our first class of Fellows, the inaugural recipients of the Ferolyn Fellowship. This program is designed to pay tribute to Ferolyn Powell’s invaluable contributions to medical technology by helping cultivate innovators – mentoring tomorrow’s rising medtech leaders who have demonstrated strong passion and aptitude to transform healthcare.
Last month we celebrated the success of these first-year graduates — Kate Garrett, Matt McLean and Julia Fox; while introducing three new fellows — Anura Patil; Bronwyn Harris, MD; and Shreya Mehta.
A year of growth for the first class
During the immersive 10-month program, the graduates received goal-setting assistance, personalized coaching and mentorship, exposure to diverse industry experts and leaders, and the opportunity to attend high-profile industry events — all with the aim of accelerating their careers.
All three shared similar positive, complimentary feedback. The top benefits they identified were:
- The importance of individualized mentoring. Each Fellow entered with a specific individual goal to advance their career and their leadership skills. They all reported achieving important milestones through connecting with mentors who could share similar experiences and talking directly to professionals who could help them address goals and challenges and give advice on moving their career forward or identifying an ideal career path.
- Conference attendance opportunities: They attended high-profile conferences they wouldn’t otherwise have had access to, such as the Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati 25th Annual Medical Device Conference and the annual Phoenix Conference for CEOs. There they met with leaders and connected with organizations to broaden their opportunities.
- Camaraderie between the Fellows: The cohort communicated regularly regarding the program, and developed a new sounding board for sharing ideas and discussing career progression.
- Group mentoring: Sessions in skills such as communication coaching were vital to help the graduates learn how to best present themselves and their brand.
The program made a significant impact on their careers. For example, since starting the program, Kate has sold Ciel Medical as a first-time CEO to Vyaire Medical, the healthcare industry’s largest pure-play “breathing” company; Matt has identified new avenues that will help him meet his goals and Julia has moved into a new position as director of new ventures for Siemens Healthineers.
New beginnings for next year’s Fellows
The graduates will continue to be involved in various capacities, including in the recent selection process of the new fellows. A diverse group of Fellows was chosen from a very talented pool based on their credentials and their current trajectory, where they are in the “sweet spot” of their career that will allow the fellowship to be most beneficial.
The new class includes Bronwyn Harris, CEO and co-founder at Tueo Health; Shreya Mehta, co-founder and CTO at Zenflow; and Anura Patil, director of marketing at Ceterix Orthopaedics.
“These new fellows are smart and passionate and have the thoughtfulness and eagerness to advance their careers and make an impact on the healthcare industry,” said Liz McDermott, co-founder of the Ferolyn Fellowship.
“We are extremely pleased with the direction of the Fellowship and look forward to formalizing and building on the core parts of the program, together with the graduating class and our advisory board. I also want to express how thankful we are to the incredible pool of talented, seasoned industry veterans who are lending their expertise to help shape these careers. It is an incredible way to honor Ferolyn and make an impact.”
Celebrating 10 Years!
Building Upon a Legacy of Innovation
The Fogarty Institute for Innovation is hosting its annual Wine with Heart fundraising event on Friday, September 8, celebrating the Institute’s 10-year anniversary. Visit the event website and read our history of spearheading innovation.